


take the quiet, over the crowd

by pirateygoodness



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Multi, Polyamory, Ugly Holiday Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 11:32:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16912101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pirateygoodness/pseuds/pirateygoodness
Summary: Describing Mona's face hardly does it justice. Her smile is so full of hope and kindness that Nora can hardly look at it. It's the emotional equivalent of looking directly into the sun; so much distilled optimism that Nora feels like she might be blinded by it. Nora feels it inside of her, that little twist that tells her she's going to give in to whatever goofy idea Mona's got planned and that she's probably going to like it more than she expects. She sighs. "What are we doing for the holidays, Mona?"(or: Mona and Ray bring some winter celebration to Nora in Time Prison)





	take the quiet, over the crowd

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kendrasaunders](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kendrasaunders/gifts).



> Title from Ingrid Michaelson's "The Lotto."
> 
> Holiday prompt fill for @kendrasaunders. Original prompt: "i already told you i don’t like ugly christmas sweater parties because everyone just wears one that’s vaguely cute anyways so what’s the point and wHAT THE FUCK IS THAT I’VE ACTUALLY NEVER SEEN A SWEATER THAT UGLY WAIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT’S PART OF A MATCHING SET"

"So, I know that you're probably super-bummed that you have to be all by yourself in prison during the holidays -"

Nora sighs, tries to interject. _The holidays_ imply family and a belief system that doesn't revolve around demon-worship and a whole lot of other things that Nora doesn't really have. "I promise you, I am not."

Mona keeps going, unfazed. She always does. It's maybe one of the things Nora likes best about her. "- and I asked because Director Sharpe and I have been like, _really_ vibing these days but unfortunately you're not allowed to come to the Bureau Holiday party even though that'd be the most fun, obviously. And then I was thinking. What if I brought the holiday to you?" 

Describing Mona's face hardly does it justice. Her smile is so full of hope and kindness that Nora can hardly look at it. It's the emotional equivalent of looking directly into the sun; so much distilled optimism that Nora feels like she might be blinded by it. Nora feels it inside of her, that little twist that tells her she's going to give in to whatever goofy idea Mona's got planned and that she's probably going to like it more than she expects. She sighs. "What are we doing for the holidays, Mona?" 

It seems like it'd be impossible for Mona to smile even wider but somehow she makes it work. She pulls at the edge of her shirt pocket, opens it up and looks down at whatever's inside - from what Nora can see, nothing. Addressing her left breast, Mona stage-whispers, "She said yes, come _on._ " 

There's a flicker of light from inside Mona's pocket, and suddenly a very small Ray Palmer is emerging and turning into a fully-formed one, life sized and much more handsome than Nora would like to admit. 

He takes off his helmet. He's had a haircut since they last saw each other, and the helmet's flattened it down in just the wrong way, stuck unflatteringly against his forehead. Nora wants so very much to just reach up and run her hands through it. She's so - he's just so large and kind and handsome and Nora's not proud of how much she wants to climb him like a tree every time she sees him. 

(But _Mona's_ the one who keeps bringing her romance novels with heroes that remind her of Ray, so probably it's at least fifty percent her fault.)

Nora gets that feeling again, that staring-at-the-sun sort of wobble low in her belly and she has to look away. Her cheeks are already warm and her insides feel like they're made of marshmallow fluff and it's so overwhelming that she almost doesn't notice the huge gift bag Ray's holding out in front of him, his hands passing through the cell barrier to give it to her. She takes the bag. It's heavier than she expected, and the tissue paper crinkles as she takes it from his hands and sets it on the table. Ray and Mona are both looking at her expectantly.

There's a chance they may have said something, while Nora was spaced out trying not to think about Ray Palmer's beautiful body and Mona's soft little smile. "What?" she says, like an idiot. 

Mona half-skips through the barrier and into Nora's space, arranges herself cross-legged on the bed. "We're bringing the holiday party to you. Open it." 

"This isn't all for me." 

Mona shrugs. "It's a party for all of us, but you're the guest of honor, so you get to open it up." 

Nora doesn't know what to say to that. She doesn't know what to say to a lot of the things Mona says to her. She's so earnest and it's - Nora loves it. She hasn't known anyone who loves quite as easily or as openly as Mona and just being around her makes Nora feel - something. One of the marshmallow feelings that give her a little bit of anxiety. Like she's maybe almost normal. 

She looks away, and turns her attention to the bag. Ray's watching her expectantly, the helmet of his suit cradled in his palms. His hands are so big. Nora can't believe she just noticed. Maybe it's an optical illusion; the gauntlets probably make them look that way but she can't help but remember the last time she was allowed to hold one of his hands in hers. 

Nora closes her eyes, gives herself a little pep talk: _Presents. There are presents. Don't be weird. You can do this._

Everything in the box is wrapped in glittery tissue paper; Nora picks up the first parcel and her hands are already covered. She honestly doesn't know whether Mona or Ray is the more likely culprit there and she kind of loves that, too. Every parcel is a different shape, each in its own shade of red, green, blue or white. She takes the first one out of the pile and tears through the tissue. 

Inside is a sweater. Nora can't quite see the design but she can see the snow and the top of a Santa hat; the idea is pretty clear. "Is this one of those things were we all wear tacky holiday sweaters?" she asks. It's not that she's against the idea; she's mostly just never been to a holiday anything in the better part of twenty years. She's not sure what she'd do. But her anxiety makes her words come out flat, a little sarcastic. She winces. 

Mona giggles from behind her. "They're not tacky, they're _amazing_ ," she says. She reaches around Nora's back, takes the sweater from her hands and unfurls it, holding it up in front of herself. "See?" 

The sweater, to Mona's credit, stops Nora dead in her tracks. The pattern on the front is a centaur, with a big white beard and a Santa hat, and little abs and pecs stitched onto his torso. It's absurd. Despite herself, she feels a smile start to tug at her mouth. Mona pulls the sweater on - no small feat around her snowflakes-on-springs light-up headband - and grins. The "sexy" chest of the centaur falls right across her sternum, in between her breasts, and she gives Nora an exaggerated wink. "Want to touch my abs?" she asks. 

Nora feels a laugh bubble up inside herself, starts giggling before she can hold it in. "You're ridiculous," she says. 

"They're a set," Mona says. "Come on, open them faster. Gary only promised us three hours of no-security-feed party time." 

Nora opens them faster. There are three sweaters; a larger one with Santa Claus riding a unicorn that's clearly for Ray, and a green one covered in tinsel and bells. When she opens that parcel Mona and Ray both watch her expectantly, she can practically feel the anticipation rolling off of them. "I love it," she whispers. 

She actually kind of does. It's not an attractive sweater, and it jingles every time she moves, but it's also sort of the best gift anyone's given her in longer than she'd like to admit. She puts it on, and tries not to blush too hard as Ray retires to the corner to change out of his ATOM suit. He reappears in a pair of jeans and the sweater is - it looked like the perfect size when it was on the table but somehow now that he's wearing it she can't stop staring at his - all of him. 

The last parcel is a little box, and when she opens it she finds a perfect miniature table set for a party. There's a big bag of what looks like Chinese takeout, and a plate of decorated cookies and a video player and a little wrapped gift and Nora's not sure what to do with it, but it's probably the cutest thing she's ever seen. "Stand back," Ray says. 

Nora does. 

Ray's still wearing one of his gauntlets, and when he points it at the miniature table it suddenly starts to grow and - oh. This is - oh. "Surprise," Ray says. "Told you we'd brought a party." 

Now Nora's blushing. It's perfect, in exactly that Mona-and-Ray way where she feels so cared for that she kind of has to sit down. 

She does. Mona - because they've talked about this, because she knows how Nora gets sometimes - wraps herself around Nora's back. Nora focuses on the feeling of Mona's chin a little sharp on her shoulder, holds Mona's hugging arm close around her waist. They sit there until Nora feels a little more grounded, while Ray busies himself unpacking the food. 

After a while, Mona reaches up with her free hand and flicks one of the bells on Nora's sweater, the one closest to the apex of her right breast. It jingles, swinging back and forth gently. It feels impossible not to smile at least a little. "You okay, Jingle Nora?" Mona asks softly. 

Nora nods. "This is really nice. A lot, but - really nice." 

Mona kisses her cheek. "Good." 

Somehow, Mona and Ray manage to trade places without moving Nora at all. Mona wriggles up to her feet and jumps off of the bed, bounces her way over to the food just as Ray comes back to the bed with a plate for himself and for Nora and takes Mona's spot. "We didn't know if you celebrated Christmas or Hanukkah or - maybe if the demon cult had like a solstice ritual, but then probably if they did you wouldn't want to celebrate _that_ but we figured Chinese food and tacky sweaters were a safe bet." 

Nora tries to interject, says Ray's name to stop him but her voice is too soft and he keeps going. "We brought movies but they're mostly - I mean, Mona picked some romantic comedies but I also brought Star Wars if you want. Or Star Trek. We actually have most of the movies ever made, since the tablet's connected to Gideon's system but that can get kind of overwhelming so sometimes a selection can be - "

" _Ray,_ " Nora finally says, loud enough to get his attention. She's touching his hand, and maybe that's what does it because he looks down at her fingers lacing through his and goes red all the way to his ears. "This is perfect." 

"Oh," Ray says. His voice is a little rough all of a sudden, emotion sort of choking it up. "Good. I'm - I'm glad." 

Mona's waiting for them to finish, her plate piled so high with food it seems to defy physics. "Is there space for me?" she asks. 

Nora nods, slides closer toward Ray so that Mona can fit beside her. Mona cuddles in extra close, somehow pressing her whole side against Nora's body and hunching over her plate to eat at the same time. 

It's probably the best holiday party ever.

**Author's Note:**

> The sweaters, for reference: 
> 
> [Mona](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011ML9LKU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1)   
>  [Nora](https://www.amazon.com/Tipsy-Elves-Gaudy-Garland-Sweater/dp/B075YCCTJ3/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1544142552&sr=8-12&keywords=tipsy+elves+christmas+sweater+men)   
>  [Ray](https://www.amazon.com/Mens-Santa-Unicorn-Christmas-Sweater/dp/B011ML4Y1Q/ref=cts_ap_3_vtp)
> 
> Thank you to falsealarm who found Mona's sweater, because she has amazing taste.


End file.
